Automobile door dovetail



Oct. 4, 1938. D. DOUGHERTY 1 2,132,100

AUTOMOBILE DOOR DOVETAIL Filed June 17, 1957 14 7- roam-"Y Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNITED AUTOMOBILE DOOR .DOVETAIL David W. D'o'ugherty, Wayville, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Application June 17, 1937, Serial No. 148,708

2 Claims. (cl. m -ss) This invention presents an automobile door dovetail.

In automobile doors and the like it is necessary to wedge the door tightly when locked-in order to relieve the hinges of strain and toprevent relative movement which would cause rattling and wear. The main object of my invention therefore is to provide 'a lock strike plate and a spring set dovetail so that as the door is closed and locked the dovetail wedges the door tightly and absolutely prevents all looseness and rattling.

Another object is to provide an assembly of this kind in which the strike plate or block is rigidly mounted but the dovetail has one portion secured to the door and the other portion slidably associated with the strike block and spring set so as-to afford a resiliency as the two portions wedge together which will effect a constant spring action on the dovetail and will compensate for any wear entailed by repeated locking and unlocking of the door.

Another object is to provide an assembly of this kind in a simple, durable, practical and inexpensive form.

With these. and other objects in View the invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing as showing a preferred embodiment of my invention for purposes of exemplification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an inside elevation of a door jamb showing the strike block and resiliently mounted dovetail plate.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the door showing the latch and the fixed dovetail plate or wedge.

Figure 3 is a cross section along the line 33 showing however both the door jamb and the door in the locked position of the parts.

Figure 4 is a composite side and edge view of the resiliently mounted dovetail plate.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the spring retainer plate alone.

Referring now with more particularity to the drawing the reference character A designates the door jamb having in its edge a recess B to receive the parts of my resilient dovetail mounting and C designates the door having the usual lock D mounted in its edge.

In accordance with my invention a fixed wedge or dovetail plate 6 is secured by screws 1 to the door edge C immediately behind the lock bolt E, that is, behind the bolt in the direction in which the door moves in closing. Flanges 8 are turned outwardly from theupper and lower margins of the plate 6 and converge forwardly-or toward the bolt E by reason of the wedge shape ofthe plate., Thefrontalor entering ends of these flanges 8 are turned or curved arcuately inward asshown at 9. g I

The lock strike assembly I 0 comprises a mounting plate ll secured over the jamb recess B by sorews i2and the strike block I3 is rigidly affixed to this plate ID by rivets l4.- This block it has steps l5'which slope toward the plate H3 in the direction of theouterside of the jamb A and so that the rounded face of the lockbolt E willvrid e over these steps as thedoor closes and I finally the bolt, will spring 7 out behind. the inner end it of the block as shown to lock the door. 1 v a l 1 Thestrike block I3 is recessed out as at H next the plate ll between the rivets I l and the plate II has a slot l8 cut adjacent theouter end or" this recess.

Aresiliently mounted dovetail plate or receptacle plate 19 is provided and same is, like the plate 6, wedge shaped and has the converging wedge flanges '20 turned arcuately inward at their narrowest ends as at 2!. This plate I9 is cut away or notched out at 22 medially at both its inner and outer ends to provide a narrow connecting web or strip 23 which will fit within the recess I! in the strike block l3 which thus confines the strip 23 and holds the plate IS on the mounting plate H as shown. The strip 23 however is narrower than the length of the recess 11 and thus the dovetail plate I9 is allowed limited sliding motion over the mounting plate II in a direction parallel to the length of the strike block I3. Guide cars 24 are turned outward from the lateral ends of the notches 22 and slidably engage the lateral margins of the strike block 13 while a spring lug 25 is turned from the outermost notch 22 inward through the slot 18 in the mounting plate ll into the jamb recess B.

A rectangular box-like spring housing 26 is mounted by its flanges 21 beneath the rivets l4 and is disposed in the aforesaid recess B. A plurality of expansion coil springs 28 are placed side by side in this housing 26 and braced between the lug 25 and the innermost end of the housing 26 and exert an outward pressure on the lug 25. A spring retainer plate 29 is provided and same has one end 30 turned so as to fall behind the inner ends of the springs 28 while its other end 3| is oppositely turned to fit into and against the inner edge of the slot l8 in the plate ll.

scope of the appended claims.

This plate' 29 has spaced valleys or grooves 32 along its length which receive the springs 28 and hold them in alignment. The space between the plate 29 and the adjacent face of the mounting plate H may be packed with oil. soaked felt 33 which will keep the parts within the housing 26 lubricated at all times.

Now as the door C is closed against the jamb A the flanges B of the flxed dovetail plate 6 will enter between the wider ends of the flanges 20 on the resiliently mounted plate is but before the door is fully closed these flanges will Wedge e the recess in the jamb and braced between the spring. lug of the movable dovetail plate and the together and further movement to the closed position will cause the plate I! to be" carried along inwardly compressing the springs 28. Thus the desirable wedging action to prevent loosene'ss of the door is provided and since the dovetail is resiliently mounted all Wear is compensated for. It is of course understood that my invention may be applied as well to any other forms of doors where such adevice is needed.

While I have hereinset forth a certain preferred embodiment-of my invention, it isunderstood that I mayvary fromtlie same in minor structural details so'as best to provide a practical device for the purposes intended, not departing from the spirit'of the invention and within the I claim: I a '1. In a device of the kind described for mount ing up'on a door hingedvertically' at one side to close horizontally upon a 'jamb at the opposite side, a fixed dovetail plate on the door having flanges turned outwardl'yjrom the upper and lower margins of the plate' andvconverging towards" the inneri side' of the door,- amounting plate secured over a recess in the jamb; this plate havinga vertically elongated slot adjacent'its outer end and opening into the recess the jamb, a block rigidly mounted on the mounting plate, this block having at its inner face next the mounting platea flat recess opening out at top and bottom and communicating at its outer e i t e. slot he mean i pl t e we able" dovetail plate having a narrowed central portion and being mounted thereby-thru the recess in the block, this plate having out-turned flanges at its upper and lower margins convergingrtowards one side complementally to and in alignment with the flanges of the fixed dovetail of the door, this movable plate having also'a spring lug turned from the outer margin of its narrowed portion thru the slot of the mounting plateinto the recess in thedoor jamb and having a pair of gf uide'e'ars turned'outwardgfrom the plate for slidabl engagement with the sides of the block, and expansion springs mounted within opposite end of the jamb, whereby the movable dovetail is" pressed resiliently outward the slot of the mountingplate and the recess of the block being wide enough to permit limited horizontal movement of the movable dovetail.

2. In a device of the kind described for mounti e n ni h ed do r l in tea lamb. avfix dovetail plate on the door having flangesturn ed out t opposite margins and converging towards the inner side of .the door, a mounting plate secured over a recess in thedoor jamb this plate being slotted at its outer side. with the slot opening into thesaid recess; a block on the mounting plate the block being recessed at its inner face next the mountingplate; this recessopening out at top and bottom and overlying at one end the said slot of the; mounting plate, a movable dovetail plate complemental to the fixed dovetail plate of the door; the movable plate having a narrowed s'lid'a'b'l'e engagement with the upper and lower sidesof the block, and expansion springs mounted within the recess'ni the door jamb and braced against the said spring lug of the movable dovetail' plate to press the same resiliently outward.

DAVID w. DOUGHERTY. 

